Mi Cumpleanos!

Hola mi familia!!!

Thank you everyone so much for the Birthday wishes!! It has been such a great day!! It is a great day to have a birthday. hahaha. We are going to visit a recent convert family that I absolutely LOVE tonight. I'm so excited. Last week when we scheduled this appointment we told them that it was going to be mi cumpleanos (my birthday) and they got SO EXCITED! ha ha So I know I'll have a really fun night.

So excited to open my package this morning!!

I woke up this morning and we jogged on the Hudson while the sun came up by the buildings, it was gorgeous.

Then we opened my birthday package from my Sisters! That was so much fun! It was fun to have presents to unwrap! I got two cute new outfits and cards from all the kids. I'm also really excited about the stickers. It will be fun to give that to kids! Thank you so much! I have the best family in the world. I also got a coat from my dad, which as been keeping me warm all week. Thanks dad, I love it! I got a guitar from my mom, too! That was so awesome!! I got so spoiled this year. Thanks everyone!! My heart is so so happy!

THANK YOU SISTERS! You take good care of me. I'm wearing this today. My heart is sooooo happy :)

I LOVED these cards from my nieces and nephews.

 SHOOT! I almost forgot to tell you about the best part of the day!!

This morning Sis. Martin and I were having our personal study and we hear the doorbell. We go down there and we see the elders through the door with their backs too us. I open the door and they turn around dramatically, kind of like a boy band. Then they broke out into some Spanish birthday song! It was the best!! They were like my own personal little mariachi band. hahahaha. It was like legit too, because Elder Blanco had a guitar, and he is from Mexico. hahaha. They're the greatest. Best birthday surprise ever. 

BEST ELDERS EVER!! My own personal little band. I'm going to miss them when they get transferred in e weeks...Tuna Slayers forever!!<3

Then Sister Martin and I locked ourselves out of our apartment and they just laughed at us. hahaha. Sorry we're dumb sometimes... But luckily someone was visiting our 92 year-old downstairs neighbor and she came and got the door for us. BLESSINGS!!

I don't want you all to worry - But I get really cold sometimes. hahahahahaha

It was such a fun week with Halloween and everything. All the missionaries had to be in casa at 6 on both Wednesday and Thursday to be safe. It was fun. Sister Martin and I watched all of our DVDs that we have while we were bundled up on the couch eating Oreos and milk. It was a nice break from everything!!

ALSO!! Remember that agua panela stuff that I was talking about? Well, we went to go visit Ana Ruth again this week and we told her that it was my birthday next week and she gave us two huge cubes of it!! So we are in agua panela heaven!! mmmmm. I swear you guys have to try that stuff. I cant wait to make all these fun treats for you when I come home. I swear, I'm like half Hispanic now, but I love it. They are the best people in the world!!

On Halloween before we went to the church, we went to the ward activity and the elders and I were really excited to wear the mustaches that my sisters sent in their October package for us. They were a huge hit. All the members were totally cracking up. hahahaha

West New York rockin' the Halloween mustaches. hahaha Tuna Slayers for lyyyfe. ha

Elder Wasden pulled off this mustache so well. It was awesome.

This has to be the most epic picture of all time! Sister Martin, me, Elder Wasden, and Elder Cuevas.

One more of us on Halloween. Elder Benson, Elder Blanco, Sister Martin, Me, Elder Wasden and Elder Cuevas

ALSO!! THIS WEEK!! AGHHH SO MANY MIRACLES!! A random less active in our ward called us up out of the blue and invited us over. When we went over she told us that she had a reference and that she was going to come that night so we could teach her. SURPRISE! It was so awesome. That doesn't just happen. She took the time to find our number from who knows where and invite us over to teach someone. People are so awesome.

Yesterday we taught the third hour of church. We taught about the hastening the work of salvation and ways that the members and missionaries can work together. It was such a good lesson and all of the members seem to be on board and really excited about it. I'm excited because we are using this idea that I came up with randomly... I don't know if you all remember but Elder Ballard said in conference that everyone should try to share the gospel with one person before Christmas. I was thinking about that and thinking about how we could motivate the members to give us a reference before Christmas, then I came up with something called our little "arbolita"hahah. That means cute little tree.

Our arbolita

But Sister Martin and I made a little arbol de navidad (Christmas tree) and we hung it on a board in the church. When someone gives us a reference, we are going to put an ornament with their name on the tree. It was fun introducing this idea yesterday, I hope it will be a success. It was funny because our ward mission leader, Tony, introduced it. He was  like " Who here has a Christmas tree. Who here loves their Christmas tree. Who decorates their Christmas tree with great care. Well I am proud to announce that we have an "arbolita" in the church, which we are going to decorate with great care." hahah it was cool and funny. He's awesome. We are working with him a lot more.

HMMMM... well. That's about all I've got for now. It was a good week, and this week is going to be awesome too. Keep praying for my investigators. They need a lot of help. We need to find more investigators too. It's stressful and hard to find people. Pray that we will be able to find people!

Love you all! Thanks for everything you do!!

-Sister Clark

One of the recent comvert families that we visit every week (minus the dad). They loved our mustaches. The little girl says the most sincere beautiful prayers I've ever heard.